Evaluating the Incapacitative Benefits of Incarcerating Drug Offenders in Los Angeles and Maricopa [Arizona] Counties, 1986 and 1990Cohen, JacquelineNagin, Danielconvicted offender incapacitationcrime controlcrime patternsdrug offendersfelony offensesimprisonmentsentencingICPSR.XVII.ENACJD.XIThe objective of this study was to examine the observable
offending patterns of recent and past drug offenders to assess the
crime control potential associated with recent increases in the
incarceration of drug offenders. The periods examined were 1986
(representing the second half of the 1980s, when dramatic shifts
toward increasing incarceration of drug offenders first became
evident), and 1990 (after escalating sentences were well under way).
Convicted offenders were the focus, since these cases are most
directly affected by changes in imprisonment policies, particularly
provisions for mandatory prison terms. Offending patterns of convicted
and imprisoned drug offenders were contrasted to patterns of convicted
robbers and burglars, both in and out of prison. The researchers used
data from the National Judicial Reporting Program (NJRP), sponsored by
the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS),
for information on the court processing of individual felony
convictions. The National Association of Criminal Justice Planners
(NACJP), which maintains data for the approximately 50 counties
included in the NJRP, was contracted to determine the counties to be
sampled (Los Angeles County and Maricopa County in Arizona were
chosen) and to provide individual criminal histories. Variables
include number of arrests for robbery, violent crimes, property
crimes, and other felonies, number of drug arrests, number of
misdemeanor arrests, rate of violent, property, robbery, weapons,
other felony, drug, and misdemeanor arrests, offense type (drug
trafficking, drug possession, robbery, and burglary), total number of
incarcerations, total number of convictions, whether sentenced to
prison, jail, or probation, incarceration sentence in months, sex,
race, and age at sampled conviction, and age at first arrest (starting
at age 17).2006-01-12event/transaction data637410.3886/ICPSR06374.v1National Judicial Reporting Program (NJRP) and the
National Association of Criminal Justice Planners (NACJP)ArizonaCaliforniaUnited States ICPSR metadata records are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial
3.0 United States License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/us/).